Page 75 of Modern Romance May 2026 Books 5-8
“Not my point,” Aiden snaps. “How would you feel if you had seen me last night walking around on stilts?”
I try to keep a straight face. Try and fail epically as a snort of laughter escapes.
Aiden’s eyebrows draw together. “What,” he asks through gritted teeth, “is so damned funny?”
“You on stilts.” I can’t resist a small smirk.
A growl sounds low in his throat. “Regardless of the reason why I followed you, we’re in trouble.”
He holds up the newspaper. My amusement disappears, replaced by cold reality.
“Randolph called me this morning.”
I cross my arms over my waist. “Oh.”
“Exactly.” Aiden holds up the newspaper. I look away. “He was already on me about…commitment.”
He spits the word out like it’s poison.
“Commitment? What are you talking about?”
“Randolph’s open to the New Field deal. But he had concerns about my stability.”
Irritated, I look back at him. “What? You’re the most stable person I know.”
Something flickers across his face. “Thank you.”
“You’ve made him millions. How can he accuse you of not being stable?”
“Because he’s running for the US Senate. It’s not just about money. It’s about image, perception.”
The crinkle of paper in his hand draws both of our gazes downward to the newspaper in his clenched hand. Slowly, he lays it on the ornate end table my mother gave me when I moved in. He stares down at the matted photo, his body so still I wonder if he’s even breathing.
“It matters now.”
My chest tightens. Despite everything that’s happened the past twelve hours, I hate that he’s facing this challenge. Yes, he may conduct his personal life in a way I don’t understand. But he’s one of the smartest men I know, a wizard with numbers and finances. I know what it’s like to have your best qualities stripped away, to be examined under someone else’s microscope and be found wanting.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Hawke.”
Slowly, he turns his head to look at me. A shiver works its way down my spine at the determined glint in his eyes.
“Thank you.”
He glances back down at the paper, his earlier melancholy gone. In its place is quiet determination and cold resolve.
“I did manage to pacify Randolph.”
My shoulders sag in relief. Given that Brett ended up in prison, some might find it odd that I’ve come to care so much about helping prisoners at a private jail. But after learning the full scope of what’s going on at New Field Penitentiary, after reviewing countless testimonies and photos of the abuse that’s occurred behind those walls, I’ve come to care about the project almost as much as Aiden.
“Good.”
He looks at me then, the slight smile on his face contrasting sharply with the dark look in his eyes.
“You may not think so after I tell you what mollified him.”
Warning bells clang in my head.
“What?”
